During last week’s meeting, the Winslow City Council approved the sixth amendment to its purchase and sale agreement with Atlas Global Development, granting a six-month extension on the deal for about 1,200 acres of land south of the Winslow-Lindbergh Airport. The extension comes as the company works to resolve energy supply issues that have slowed progress.
City Manager David Coolidge explained that Atlas is confident those challenges can be overcome, though it will take additional time. Earlier in the year Senior Public Affairs Manager for Arizona Public Service (APS) Janet Dean said that Atlas had met with them earlier to procure 1,000 megawatts of power for the tradeport. For reference all of Winslow’s power consumption equates to about 13 megawatts of power Dean clarified in the same report. Dean also said that kind of energy supply might be a decade or more away from coming to fruition.
The council also removed the I-40 parcel from the deal, with City Attorney Trish Stuhan noting the city has 30 days to identify an alternate TradePort property. She said this step is important to ensure Winslow has land secured as federal funding for the project becomes available.
While some members had previously resisted further delays, Councilmember Samantha Crisp said this extension was different because it addressed a concrete problem and included measurable benchmarks. Mayor Birdie Cano remarked during the agenda item that while they look for a new property they will not back down from their promise to make sure that the southern neighborhoods of Southside and Coopertown are not negatively affected by the project.
Coolidge also reported on several ongoing projects. The downtown restrooms, designed from train cars, are now 90% complete in design and are estimated to cost between $300,000 and $500,000. In additions, renderings were presented for a $450,000 all-access playground at Hayden Walton Park, funded entirely through federal community development block grants.
Coolidge also described a grant application submitted to T-Mobile for a downtown food truck court with space for six or seven trucks, covered seating and lighting. Coolidge said the spaces will be leased to food trucks and should provide them a low-cost way to start food businesses. Two Winslow food trucks recently transitioned to brick-and-mortar restaurants, Shorty’s Tacos and Cajian Creations, so the strategy has proven successful.
Additional pending grants include two for the farmers market and one for a business incubator that would be in the building next door to the current police department on Third Street. Coolidge noted the completion of the 9/11 Remembrance Park lighting project, which now illuminates the site nightly and will enhance this year’s remembrance ceremony.
After reconvening from multi-hour executive session to speak on what to do about recruiting a new police chief, Vice Mayor Jim MacLean gave a statement to the public. Mayor Cano was not included in the executive session as the current Interim chief of police is her husband Ernie Cano. MacLean said they considered him a strong candidate and expressed appreciation for his leadership, while also noting they plan to reassess city ordinances related to employment procedures before moving forward. MacLean emphasized their hope that Cano would continue to serve the community in the interim role as the review process unfolds.
Earlier in the meeting Interim Chief Cano delivered his quarterly report. He praised his staff and said his focus as interim chief was on officer wellness and technology to ensure they are well supported and equipped. He credited his team for its dedication, saying he wanted every employee to know they are appreciated and valued for both their service and their personal sacrifices. He also highlighted community engagement efforts, including a scholarship funded by the police union and a youth fishing program called “Cops and Bobbers” held in cooperation with Arizona Game and Fish.
He reported that in the past quarter, the department responded to more than 3,000 calls for service, issued 159 citations, took 288 reports and made 290 arrests. He introduced new officers and dispatchers to the council and praised them as strong additions to the department.
Councilmember Darcy McKee noting she had witnessed officers take extra time during traffic stops to educate drivers, like herself who was recently pulled over, rather than simply issuing warnings or citations.
The Winslow Rotary Club was also recognized during the meeting for donating six new garbage cans to the city. The $10,981 project was funded through a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation and the Route 66 Association. Rotary members worked with city staff to ensure the cans matched Winslow’s existing downtown motif, with help from the library and public works departments on the design.
Council members expressed their appreciation for the gift, with Councilmember Crisp remarking, “Never in a million years did I think I would get this excited over a trash can.” The new receptacles, officials noted, are both sturdy and visually consistent with the city’s character, making them a valuable asset to the tourist heavy downtown and will go a long way in keeping the area free of trash.
In other business, the council:
* Approved a liquor license application for Circle K, located at 1702 North Park Drive.
* Approved a bid for the playground improvements to Hayden Walton Sports Complex to Altitude Recreation in the amount of $450,000.
* Approved the cancellation of the first meeting in November for Veterans Day and the second meeting in December for the holidays.
* Authorized receiving funds from two national opioid crisis related settlements once a settlement is reached.
